Reflecting the Transformed Relationship Between NATO and Russia,
President Bush and the other NATO Heads of State and Government have
agreed with Russian President Putin to establish the NATO-Russia
Council (NRC).

The creation of the NRC opens a new era in NATO-Russia
relations, providing opportunities for consultation, joint decision,
and joint action on a wide range of issues.

The NRC will focus on specific, well-defined projects where
NATO and Russia share a common goal. NATO and Russia have agreed on an
initial, specific workplan, which includes projects in the following
areas:

Assessment of the terrorist threat

Crisis management

Non-proliferation

Arms Control and Confidence-Building Measures

Theater Missile Defense

Search and Rescue at Sea

Military-to-Military Cooperation

Defense Reform

Civil Emergencies

New Threats and Challenges (including scientific
cooperation and airspace management)

Other projects may be added as the NRC develops.

The NRC does not affect NATO's existing responsibilities as a
political and military alliance based on collective defense. The NRC
does not provide Russia a veto over NATO decisions or action. The NATO
Allies retain the freedom to act, by consensus, on any issue at any
time.

NATO Allies will decide among themselves the issues they will
address in the NRC, as well as the extent to which they will take a
common position on these issues.

Representatives from Moscow first took part in meetings at
NATO in 1991, as part of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council
(NACC). In 1997, the NATO-Russia "Founding Act" established a
NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council (PJC). The PJC held its last
meeting in Reykjavik on May 14, 2002.

NATO-Russia cooperation since the Founding Act has taken a
variety of forms. Russian troops have participated in the NATO-led
SFOR and KFOR operations, and discussions in the PJC addressed issues
such as non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms control,
and defense reform.

NATO has also established an Information Office in Moscow,
where NGOs, academic institutions, and interested Russian citizens can
obtain firsthand information about NATO.